The present invention relates to a detection apparatus for the optical detection of an object including detection means, which can detect the light emerging from the object, and also at least one imaging unit including a first lens means having a plurality of lens elements arranged in the form of an array, through which light emerging from the object can pass; and a second lens means, which are arranged between the first lens means and the detection means and can feed the light that has passed through the lens elements to the detection means. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for operating a detection apparatus of this type. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a scanning apparatus and to a confocal microscope in each case having a detection apparatus of this type.
A detection apparatus, a method, a scanning apparatus and a confocal microscope of the abovementioned type are disclosed in the international patent application WO 97/34171 A2. The detection apparatus described therein has on the object side, a two-dimensional array of, in particular, spherical lenses which have a very large numerical aperture. The light emerging from the comparatively small lenses of the array is imaged onto the detection means by an imaging system comprising a plurality of lenses arranged one after the other, for example four lenses, and having a comparatively small aperture and a central aperture diaphragm arranged approximately in the center in the direction of propagation. Arranged between the imaging system and the detection means are beam splitter means for coupling in light with which the object can be illuminated.
What proves to be disadvantageous in the case of a detection apparatus of this type is that, on the one hand, on account of the use of the spherical lenses in the lens array, the luminous efficiency is comparatively low on account of interstices between the individual spherical lenses. On the other hand, the system is of comparatively complicated construction with five or more lenses one behind the other and also a central aperture diaphragm and further smaller aperture diaphragms behind each of the small spherical lenses. This construction means that the detection apparatus is difficult to adjust, on the one hand, and is not very effective, on the other hand.
The problem on which the present invention is based is to provide a detection apparatus of the type mentioned in the introduction which is of simple construction and operates effectively. Furthermore, a problem of the present invention is to specify a method for operating a detection apparatus of this type. Furthermore, the present invention is based on the problem of providing a scanning apparatus and also a confocal microscope having a detection apparatus of this type.